TALLAHASSEE, Fla.— Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Florida’s initial list of eligible short-term workforce programs for purposes of implementing the new federal Workforce Pell Grant program. This program is a Trump Administration priority and provides federal financial aid to students enrolled in short-term workforce training programs that lead directly to employment in high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations.

Aligned with state workforce demand, the Workforce Pell Grant supports students’ continued education and career advancement while strengthening the state’s workforce pipeline. Workforce Pell eligible programs must prepare students for occupations that demonstrate strong labor market demand or fulfill critical workforce needs within Florida’s economy and communities.

“Florida is number one in workforce education, and the Workforce Pell Grant funding enables us to build on our track record of success,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “The programs eligible for Workforce Pell funding are preparing students for high-wage, in-demand careers. We’re glad that thousands more Floridians will be able to take advantage of these opportunities without needing to take out loans or break the bank.” Continue reading →

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Kat Cammack (FL-03) secured $50 million in new and expanded federal water and wastewater infrastructure authorizations for Columbia, Suwannee, Marion, and Gilchrist Counties, along with a coastal storm risk study for Horseshoe Beach in Dixie County, in the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (H.R. 9497), which passed the House of Representatives today by a vote of 415 to 9.

The House-passed bill:

Authorizes up to $39.3 million for water and wastewater infrastructure in Columbia and Suwannee Counties.

More than doubles Marion County’s existing authorization, from $10 million to $20.5 million, providing an additional $10.5 million in authorized capacity.

Authorizes up to $200,000 for water and wastewater infrastructure, including stormwater management, in Gilchrist County.

Directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study coastal storm risk management for the town of Horseshoe Beach, including shoreline damage prevention and mitigation.

“Our water and wastewater systems in North Central Florida carry the weight of decades of growth and back-to-back storms. Columbia, Suwannee, Marion, and Gilchrist Counties needed a federal partner. Securing these three priorities in the House-passed WRDA is an important step toward delivering the infrastructure these growing communities need,” said Congresswoman Kat Cammack. “Horseshoe Beach took a direct hit from Idalia and Helene, and this study is the first step toward advancing long-term coastal storm protection for the community. I fought to get these provisions in the bill, and I will keep pushing to get these priorities across the finish line.” Continue reading →

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Kat Cammack (FL-03), Chair of the Republican Women’s Caucus, released the following statement after the House voted 413-2 on Tuesday to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) following a bipartisan House Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct toward two staffers:

“Yesterday, I voted to censure Congressman Chuck Edwards.

I read the Ethics Committee’s report, and I read his letter and his lawyers’ response with the seriousness they deserve. He had every right to defend himself. It did not change my vote.

The Committee found a persistent pattern of unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young women on his staff, and he did not deny much of the underlying conduct. In fact, defends it. He defends the gifts and the poetry, and he defends traveling with a young woman who had only just left his office. His argument is that none of it broke a rule, and that is precisely the problem. Continue reading →

OPINION

BY CONGRESSWOMAN KAT CAMMACK

Twenty-five years ago this morning, America watched the unthinkable unfold. 343 New York City firefighters went up the stairs of the World Trade Center so everybody else could come down. They did not come back.

I was 13 years old and living in Colorado. I remember the shock of that morning. I remember watching first responders run into danger while thousands of people fought to get out. That image has stayed with me ever since.

It never left a young man named Matt Harrison either. What he saw that day set the course of his life. He chose the fire service. Today he serves Gainesville Fire Rescue as a firefighter and paramedic, and he spent six years as a SWAT medic. I am proud to be his wife.

Life in a first responder family gives you a close view of service. The tones can go off at any hour. Dinner goes cold. The person you love walks out the door to meet a stranger on the worst day of that stranger’s life. Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General James Uthmeier joined the Federal Trade Commission and 21 other states in suing Amazon, alleging the company spent years secretly inflating the prices Florida businesses pay to advertise on its platform—costs that were then passed on to Florida families at checkout.

“Amazon told Florida businesses they were bidding in a fair auction. That was false,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “Amazon hid a surcharge, padded its own profits, and those costs landed on Florida families buying groceries, medicine, and everyday essentials. Amazon should expect to be held accountable.”

According to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Amazon represented for years that it ran “second-price” auctions in which the winning advertiser would pay only one cent more than the next-highest bidder. In practice, Amazon added an undisclosed surcharge and used an “invented auction participant” to drive prices higher than genuine competition would have produced. By 2024, Amazon charged Sponsored Products advertisers their own winning bid approximately 80 percent of the time, converting a nominally second-price auction into a first-price auction without telling customers.

The complaint alleges Amazon began testing hidden surcharges in 2019 and 2020. After concluding advertisers could not detect the extra charges, Amazon rolled them out across the platform and ramped them higher on Prime Day and Black Friday. Internal documents quoted in the complaint describe “a surcharge hidden in it” and a “clever non-transparent way to charge first price.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.— Attorney General James Uthmeier proposed legislation that gives the Attorney General independent authority to investigate and shut down spam calls and texts and gives prosecutors new tools against impersonation, fake warrants, undisclosed AI voices, and the phone farms that power those campaigns.

“Floridians should not have to fear every unknown call or text,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “What we are talking about is fraud—pure and simple. It just arrives as a phone call, a text, a fake warrant, or an AI voice. This proposal lets our office investigate and act independently, and it gives prosecutors the tools to put the worst offenders in prison.”

Spam floods Florida phones. Scammers spoof government agencies, banks, and utilities. They send fake warrants and official-looking papers by text. Artificial voices make the fraud sound real. Under current law, some of these crimes don’t carry tough penalties, and Florida law does not provide consequences for the phone farms and SIM farms that blast thousands of numbers from one room.

The Florida Anti-Spam Communications Act would:

1. Crack down on phone and text fraud, including AI voices and fake warrants.

Impersonating an official, spoofing a number, using an undisclosed AI voice to obtain money, or sending a fake warrant by text or e-mail is treated as communications fraud and simulated legal process. High-volume or high-loss cases would be an elevated felony and carry mandatory prison time. Possession or importation of a phone farm or SIM farm becomes a felony, and the equipment is designated contraband. Continue reading →